How many steps to the top of Empire State Building?
The 1,576 steps are a fire stair, not a visitor route: the observatory is reached by lift, and the only people who climb are competitors in the Empire State Building Run-Up, held most years since 1978 and limited to a few hundred entrants. The winning times are around ten minutes. A separate count of 1,872 steps reaches the 102nd floor, which is not part of the race. The stairwell is unventilated and the temperature climbs noticeably above the sixtieth floor.
The numbers
- Steps
- 1,576
- Reaches
- the 86th-floor observatory, via the emergency stairwell
- Public access
- Restricted — events or permit only
- Where
- New York, United States
- Height climbed
- 320 m — 1,050 ft
- Average rise per step
- 203 mm
What the climb is like
Race entry only, by ballot or charity place. Elite times are near 10 minutes; most finishers take 20-30.
These steps are not open on an ordinary visit. Access is limited to organised events, races or permit holders.
Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.
How it compares
Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.
| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN Tower | 1,776 | the main observation level at 342 m; 2,579 steps reach the SkyPod at 447 m | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Ostankino Tower | 1,704 | the observation deck at 337 m, via the emergency staircase | Not climbable by the public |
| Eiffel Tower (summit) | 1,665 | the summit at 276 m, using the service stairs above the second floor — closed to the public | Not climbable by the public |
| Empire State Building | 1,576 | the 86th-floor observatory, via the emergency stairwell | Restricted — events or permit only |
| The STRAT Tower | 1,455 | the observation deck at 260 m | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san) | 1,368 | the inner shrine, Okusha; 785 steps reach the main shrine | Open to climb |
| Q1 Tower (SkyPoint Climb) | 1,331 | the SkyPoint observation deck at 230 m | Open to climb |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Empire State Building?
- 1,576, reaching the 86th-floor observatory, via the emergency stairwell.
- Can the public climb Empire State Building?
- Restricted — events or permit only. Race entry only, by ballot or charity place. Elite times are near 10 minutes; most finishers take 20-30.
- How high is that climb?
- 320 m, about 1,050 ft, which averages 203 mm per step.
Related pages
- Towers All 17 here
- How many steps up Eiffel Tower? 674 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Eiffel Tower (summit)? 1,665 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up Burj Khalifa? 2,909 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up CN Tower? 1,776 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up Tokyo Tower? 600 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Taipei 101? 2,046 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up One World Trade Center? 2,226 steps · restricted — events or permit only
- How many steps up Tokyo Skytree? 2,523 steps · not climbable by the public
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place